Improvement in car-brakes



J. MEISSNBR. Car-Brake.

Patented April 15, I879.

IN VENTOR WITNESSES ORNEYS.

"PETERS PNOTO-LITHOGRAFNER. WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIG'E.

.lOHN MEISSNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRYFLEISHMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,418, dated April15, 1879 application filed March 5, 1879.

To all whom'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN MEISSNER, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Brake, of which the followingis a specification.

Figure l is a plan of the under side of a car with brake attached. Fig.2 is a sectional side elevation of: the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective brakefor attachment to railroad-cars that will apply as well to the wheelswhen running on curves as when running on a straight line, and whoseefficiency will increase with the increasing weight of the car and itsload.

The bolts A A, passing through the centers of the top plates, B B, ofthe truck-frames, pivot them to the bottom of the car G. Bolted also tothe bottom of the car are the hangers D D, that afford bearings to thetwo oscillating bars E and F. To the middle part of these bars aresecured the rocking levers G G, that project downward and have theirlower ends pivoted at a a in slots in the brake-rod H. The oscillatin gbar F passes through the sockets of the two arms I I, that are keyed onthe said bar, and that carry pivoted on their free ends, that projectupward into the space between the top plates, the two small rollers bI). These arms I I are set on the bar F, one on each side of rockinglever G. Between the upper ends of these arms is the loose plate K, onthe upper surface of which and near each end the rollers 01 d aresecured by and revolve on pins, thus making the plate essentially aclamp with revolving ears or lugs. This plate rests upon, and therollers embrace between them, the contiguous curved ends of the rims orcollars L L, that carry in their side sockets the brake-shoestruck-frames on their pivot-bolts A A.

The wooden brake-shoes, which are cut out on their lower edges tocorrespond, or nearly so, with the curve of the periphery of thecarwheels]? P, are provided with fiat metallic caps h h, to strengthenand make them more durable, and are inserted into long slots 2" z" inthe top plates, down through the side sockets k k of the raised collarsL L, so as nearly to come in contact with the rims of the wheels.

When the brakes are 0E the rocking levers G and G are perpendicular tothe bottom of the car, and a perpendicular line may also be drawnthrough the axes of the wheels and the highest points of the curves inthe lower edges or faces of the brake-shoes.

To set the brakes power is applied to the lever R, which is secured tothe oscillating bar E to move it either forward or back, and this motionand force are transmitted through rocking bar Gr, brake-rod H, androcking bar G to the oscillating bar F, and thence to the arms I I, sothat the rollers b b shall press against the outside of one of the rimsor collars L L, and force both of them, by reason of the clamp K, tomove in unison in the desired direction. This movement of the collarsgives a corresponding horizontal movement to the brakeshoes, and forcethem in contact with the rims of the car-wheels, wedging them at thesame time between the rims of the wheels and the bottom of the car. Inthis position they brake the wheels effectually, in which matter theforce applied to the lever B is supplemented by the weight of the carupon the upper surfaces of the brake-shoes. Consequently it will beobvious that the greater the weight of the car and its load the greaterwill be the influ ence they exert in braking the wheels. Because of theconnections made between the top plates B B and the rims L L, by meansof the shoe-brakes and the lugs f f and slots 9 9, they must movetogether as the top plates turn on the bolts A A, thus preserving thesame relative position. Hence when the cars are running on curves thewheels can be braked as readily as when running on astraight line.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The car-brake herein described, consisting ofhangers D D, oscillating bars E and F, rock ing levers (l and (i,brake-rod II, arms I I collars L L, that are provided with lugs f jprovided with rollers b 1;, plate K, with rolland side sockets k k,substantially as herein 1 ers d d, collars or rims L L, brake-shoes Mshown and described. M, and lever R. constructed and arranged sub 4. Incombination with the truck-frame plates stantially as herein shown anddescribed. and the rims or collars herein described, the

2. In combination with the car-brake herein plate K, provided withrollers d d, substandescribed, the truck-frame plates with slots gtially as herein shown and described.

9 and i i, substantially as and for the pur- JOHN MEISSNER. posedescribed. Witnesses:

3. In combination withthetruck-frameplates C. SEDGWICK, B B, that haveslots g 1 and i i, the rims or J. J. STOVER.

